


Show Your Stripes

by JQ (musicmillennia)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Documentary Elements, Freediver Mick, Gen, M/M, Mersharks, Underwater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 01:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicmillennia/pseuds/JQ
Summary: A man named Mick Rory has an incredible encounter while freediving.





	Show Your Stripes

Mick didn't used to like diving, but his therapist recommended a hobby. To humor her, Mick went out on his friend's boat. Wasn't long before Amaya dared him to dive into a reef and pet a fish.

The thrill of limited time, as well as the sights, made him go again. And again. And again. Finally, Amaya offered a mask and wet suit.

In Mick's opinion, diving gear weighs you down. Going without's where the fun is. Amaya tried to lecture him, but knew him too well in the end.

Since it seemed to do him good, he was allowed access to her boat whenever he wanted, so long as he let her know. She told him his lung capacity was incredibly rare: Mick could swim nearly 900 feet without needing to go up for air. He claimed a lifetime of holding his breath to look at fires up close did the trick. Amaya started calling him Fire Man.

About a year into this arrangement, Mick traveled to shark waters. He'd only done this a couple times, but it was always awesome. Tiger sharks in particular hung out around here. Mick loved watching their stripes darken under the sun―reminded him of his own scars.

Today, though, he was gonna dive among them in nothin' but shorts, fins, and goggles. Well, maybe not  _dive_. He loved a thrill, but he wasn't suicidal.

More careful than he'd ever been in his life, Mick lowered himself into the water. The sharks had congregated along the bottom among a crowd of long-tailed fish Mick never bothered to learn the name of. He gave an excited grin and took a breath.

The tiger sharks swam around him, but seemed to recognize he wasn't food. Mick spent a good few minutes just floating there, watching them. He almost wished he'd brought a camera. Maybe next time.

A shark passed closer than the others. Mick touched their stripes. They were smoother than his, but he still believed they belonged on the shark just as much as his scars belonged on him.

After about twenty minutes, Mick knew he had to resurface. He was just kicking up when something snatched his wrist.

Air bubbles burst from Mick's mouth, moreso when he saw what it was. He'd heard legends, of course. Who hadn't? But to  _see_ one, to have one  _touching him_ ―Mick really should've brought a camera.

The mershark had a tiger shark's body, dorsal fins sticking out of his upper and lower back. Two pectoral fins jutted from his waist, dwarfed by the arc of his caudal. But his eyes, though alike to tiger sharks in shape, were a brilliant hazel that flickered to blue in the right lighting. His head was shaved like Mick's, salt and pepper.

He was magnificent. But Mick really needed air. Unfortunately, the mershark had a strong grip. Mick shoved down hot panic and tried again. On the third attempt, he tapped his throat with his free hand and pointed to the surface, hoping the damn thing understood.

The mershark glanced at the sunlight. Then it yanked Mick down and kissed him.

Took a second for Mick to figure out it wasn't really a kiss, but oxygen exchange.

Still pretty great.

Once he got his fill, Mick reluctantly pulled back. The mershark didn't bother tugging again. He just took off with Mick in tow. Fucker could  _swim_. They didn't get too far, though, before another shape formed from the foggy sea.

Holy shit, it was another mershark.

Mick either drank too much before he came out, or he'd drowned.

This one was female, with hair that shined like aged gold and really nice tits. But Mick probably shouldn't look at those. Instead, he followed the other mershark's pointing webbed fingers and nearly hissed. The female's pectoral fins were being constricted by a piece of fishing net.

That wasn't where the mershark was pointing. Peering closer, Mick finally saw it a few inches below the net: a fishing hook.

The female's lovely face was tense with pain, the male's with worry. Mick nodded to show he understood, and swam down to her. He'd gone fishing with Amaya enough times to know how to safely remove one 'a these things.

The female breathed sharply through her slit nostrils much like a human did as Mick took hold of the hook. It was deep in her hide, but nothing he couldn't handle. He wondered why the male had sought his help, though. He had fingers too, right?

The hook slid free, and the female kicked away from Mick. But Mick signaled to the relieved male, pointing to the net, then himself. He made a cutting motion, and jerked his thumb at the surface.

For a moment, the male seemed surprised, before he made a clicking sound that vibrated the water. Sharks couldn't make sounds, but Mick guessed the whole mer-part gave these guys vocal chords. The female circled around, clicking back.

At length, the male nodded, and took Mick's wrist again. Soon, they were back with the other sharks, and Mick swam for the shadow of Amaya's boat.

Climbing aboard, he looked behind him, and a thrill spiked through him when he saw two heads peeking out of the water.

"You understand English?" he asked.

To his amazement, they both nodded.

"Name's Mick," Mick said, taking a knife from his bag, "Either of you got names?"

The male promptly trilled "Len" and the female "Lise" in quick order. In clear English. Holy  _shit_.

"Len and Lisa," Mick muttered gleefully to himself, "This is so awesome." Returning to the edge of the boat, he said, "You wanna come up here, Lisa, or d'you want me to go back in?"

Lisa eagerly swam up to the boat, saying, "Boat."

"Yeah, it's a boat. My friend's, actually. She lets me borrow it." Mick helped hoist her on deck. Lise laid on her side, fin unable to bend back and forth. "Alright, I'm gonna getcha outta thi―where's Len?"

A clicking trill made Mick whirl around. Len had hoisted himself on the side to examine the captain's seat and wheel.

"You sneaky bastard," Mick said, almost incredulously.

Len  _winked_.

Mick cut Lise free. The net had warped the flesh, but she instantly relaxed.

"Thank―you," she said.

"Anytime," Mick replied, "Really. Anytime. Can I take a picture?"

"Pic―ter?"

Mick fumbled for his camera. "Yeah, like―here, lemme show you. I'll take a picture of the water."

When Lise saw the photo, her eyes widened in wonder, head tilting from side to side. Curious, Len awkwardly flapped over like a sideways seal, so by the time he got there, Mick had to relinquish the camera 'cause he was laughing so hard.

"It-it goes underwater," he said, snickering, "so I can take photos when I―when I dive. See, you aim this at what you wanna take a picture of, and then you press this button."

Lise propped herself on a seat and took a picture of Len. They both made excited noises.

Mick reached for the camera. Len snatched it away, continuing to look at his photo. Vain little thing.

"I can take a picture of you and your girl," Mick offered.

The pair's faces scrunched.

"Sis―ter," Len said.

Mick shrugged. "You and your sister then."

Reluctantly, Len handed the camera back. The two mersharks reclined on their elbows, clearly posing.

"Smile," Mick said.

They blinked at him.

"Y'know." Mick smiled. "Smile?"

Wow, they had sharp teeth.

"Yeah, like that. Ready...and..." the camera clicked.

Two webbed hands reached for it. The siblings trilled and nudged each other for a better look.

After a while, Mick said, "You guys should get back in the water."

They withheld the camera again.

"How 'bout this. You meet me here tomorrow, and I'll give you the photo. Deal?"

Len and Lise looked at each other.

They nodded.

Mick nearly whooped right there. "Awesome. Let's get you back in."

* * *

 _Excerpt from_ Legendary Beasts,  _S05E4_

NARRATOR:  _"The Atlantic Ocean. A vast world host to creatures of all shapes and sizes, from shallow reefs to the mysterious deep. Many species have yet to be categorized._

_"However, today's legendary creature was classified  thousands of years ago."_

[shown: a rough sketch of a human woman with an arching fish tail]

_"The mermaid. First discovered in Ancient Egyptian illustrations, mermaids were not photographed until early 1900's, but it's a blurry photo at best. However, a new photograph has surfaced."_

[shown: a modern, HD photo of two mersharks smiling on a boat]

_"Mick Rory was staying with a friend in North Carolina. There, he began freediving in earnest. On one of those dives, a miracle happened."_

[CUT TO: a boat in bright sunshine, with _Legendary Beasts_ crew―Barry Allen, Cisco Ramon, Iris West, and Julian Albert―looking out at the water. A heavily scarred man in swim shorts sits in the captain's seat.]

 _"A_ _mershark freely solicited Rory's help in freeing his sibling from a fisher's hook. But she also had a net constricting her tail. She and her brother followed Rory to his boat. According to Rory, the two mersharks were incredibly curious about the camera, even_ keeping it from him _when they saw their photo."_

[The boat slows.]

_"Rory has agreed to show our crew his new friends up close and personal."_

[Narrator stops.]

"Alright," Rory says, "Len and Lise know there's gonna be cameras. Just point 'em at 'em and they'll show off all you want." He sounds fond.

"This is gonna be so dope!" Cisco gushes, punching Barry's arm repeatedly.

Mick points to Barry. "You're a sorcerer, right? Lightning?"

Barry beams. "Yeah."

"Good. They like electric currents. Ready?"

"Are we ready to see  _merpeople_?" Iris says, "Is that even a question?"

Mick snorts and gestures to their gear. "Get your sh(bleep) together."

[Camera cuts to underwater, where the crew follow Rory down.]

NARRATOR:  _"They don't have long to wait. Out of the distant mist, two creatures emerge."_

[Rory waves. The mersharks glide closer.]

_"They greet Rory with friendly chuffs and soliciting clicks, a sign of deep affection. But once Barry gathers a few currents in his hands..."_

[Len darts to Barry. He circles tightly around him, peering curiously. Lise joins him.]

_"They're on him."_

[Barry waves, but they're clearly watching the sparks at his fingertips. Len titters, webbed fingers hovering over them.

"Extraordinary," Julian says.

"Shouldn't you be jealous?" Iris teases.

"Unless Barry has a  _very_ strange fetish I don't know about, I think I'll be fine."]

_"Meanwhile, Rory has gone to pet some of the tiger sharks in the area. He doesn't seem to be short on breath at all―the greatest talent of freedivers. Currently, Rory holds the record of 900 feet diving and 25 minutes underwater, making him the perfect human companion for two curious mersharks."_

["I can't even," Cisco says, flailing his arms as much as he can, "I just―they're  _here_ , they're like― _this is so awesome_!"]

_"Soon enough, they notice the cameras. Barry is no longer their primary target."_

[Cheerful music plays over the mersharks playfully batting at the camera and swimming in impressive circles within its line of sight.]

_"Rory had been right: they love to show off."_

[Cisco makes incoherent noises and takes hundreds of pictures. Barry and Iris give the camera thumbs-up. Julian gives the OK sign. Even though his eyes are invisible from his goggles, Rory somehow manages to convey he's rolling them.]

_"The crew swims with them for a while. So far, the mersharks seem eager for attention and nothing else. Hopefully, that won't change._

_"But it has been a little over twenty minutes. Rory needs to resurface for air. Until another miracle happens."_

[Mick gets Len's attention with a sharp wave and taps his throat. Len instantly swims towards him.]

_"It turns out that Rory experienced a phenomenon only written of in ancient records: the mermaid's kiss."_

[Len tilts his head and presses their mouths together.]

_"Merpeople have an uncommon ability that allows them to transfer oxygen if one of their own is having trouble. This way, Rory can virtually stay underwater however long he wants._

_"The crew is astonished and awed to witness such a momentous event."_

[Cisco is shaking Barry violently.

"Cisco, lemme see!" Barry whines.

Cisco unleashes a roar of bubbles.]

_"Forty minutes into the dive, Julian asks if the mersharks are like whole tiger sharks in terms of petting."_

[Rory snickers bubbles and nods. He motions Lise over.]

_"Mersharks do enjoy affection. Just in a different form."_

[Rory hugs Lise to him and pets her hair. A sound permeates the water as Lise snuggles up to him.

"She's trilling," Iris says excitedly.

Cisco roars bubbles again and takes more pictures.]

_"All in all, it is a legendary dive. The crew thanks Rory sincerely for such an opportunity."_

["Believe me," Rory deadpans, "it wasn't for you. Also, I'm gonna need those photos, Ramon."

"Bro, you can have my  _babies_ ," Cisco says.

"...right."]

* * *

A week after the show airs, Mick returns to their spot.

When he stops the boat, though, Len surfaces before he can get his fins on.

"Mick," he clicks.

"Hey, Len. I'm comin' down."

"Wait."

Mick's brow furrows. "Somethin' wrong?"

Len shakes his head. He hoists himself onto the boat, now well-practiced. He takes Mick's wrist and drags him down. Mick's knees hit the deck hard.

"Watch it," Mick growls.

Len kisses him.

Mick pulls back. "Uh, Len. We're above water. I can breathe fine."

Len raises an eyebrow. "Yes."

"So―oh." Mick falls back on his heels. " _Oh_."

Len taps his chin. "Yes?"

"I got photos," Mick says.

Len waits.

"Uh. Yes. Yeah. Definitely."

Len grins, all teeth, and pulls him into the sea.

**Author's Note:**

> As far as I know, Herbert Nitsch holds the freediving record of 830 feet.
> 
> Also, not mentioned: Len brings Mick treasure he stole from shipwrecks and ships that are still sailing. A fork is included. Mick plays Under the Sea until Lisa smacks the boat with her tail.


End file.
